Searchers are using more multiword queries, notes Andy Beal, citing stats from a recent Hitwise study. There has also been a significant drop in the number of people using two- and three-word searches. So, what does this mean for search engine optimization experts? Should you consider SEOing your site differently? Are Google, Yahoo and Microsoft search engines getting better at pinpointing the exact answer to each query as more words are added, or are people getting smarter in the way they use search engines?

The process of tweeting on Twitter requires skills similar to writing a haiku. That's how SEO guru Michael Gray "likened" the process of tweeting on Twitter during a brief exchange with Marty Weintraub. Gray tweeted: "the limitations are the challenge and force you to grow like trying to write a haiku." Weintraub explains the epigrammatic Japanese verse crafted of three short lines for those unfamiliar with haiku. He details the similarities and provides helpful hints on how to communicate clear and concise messages in 140 characters or less. Who would have thought we'd all be writing poetry.

Marketers who need an immediate uptick in traffic, have products or services people are looking for online, and have a clear conversion goal may want to look into a pay-per-click strategy. While these are some reasons Brian Carter gives for launching a PPC campaign, he also provides just as many to explain why and when it may not work for you. Carter also make a few suggestions for alternate media marketers might want to consider prioritizing higher in the list. For instance: "Your niche's competition and CPC is prohibitively high -- in this case, SEO can be very expensive ...

Aaron Shear has seen a change in the way marketers at large companies spend money on media buys. Some have moved away from "hard-to-track media buys and television commercials" to more SEO-related projects and online campaigns. The problem is, some marketers don't realize many large agencies lack the experience to provide an accurate quote for SEO services. That puts the burden on marketers to know what to request in proposals, he writes. Shear shares the type of information marketers should include in the RFP and how it should tie to revenue and traffic, such as training, time spent ...

Google wants to know if you can find the Google Search Appliance in your workplace. So, the search engine launched a North American contest to learn more about how search is making a difference in your world. Two lucky winners will receive an all-expense paid trip to the Google IO conference and have a chance to tell their story during an enterprise search session. Other prizes include two HTC Dream phones, and a host of Googleschwag. David Kim provides deadline dates and guidelines.

Bryson Meunier believes SEO of pages geared toward mobile users will increase in importance as more people adopt smartphones with browsers that can search the Web. He suggests "best practices" he believes will get marketers started on the right track. While marketers should focus on title tags, links and keyword, SEO experts also need to consider the attributes that make mobile different, Meunier writes. For instance, mobile differs from desktop search behavior in frequency and intent. So, he provides insight into mobile-specific SEO tools like Google's mobile keyword tools.

Google thought it best to go back to basics and teach AdWords users the difference between an "account" and a "profile" after more than 14,000 people in January searched its Help Center to look up the difference. Even long-time users said they had a vague understanding of the difference, according to the post. So what's the diff? "To put it simply, an account contains a collection of profiles," according to the post. Next, the post provides profile dos and don'ts. For instance, do give each profile a different name so it's easily identifiable. Don't neglect to create a ...

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer has reportedly "reiterated his interest in landing a search deal with Yahoo" but has been rebuffed, writes Dawn Kawamoto, citing CNBC. She also points to a post in The Wall Street Journal that reviews some of the recent executive shifts at Yahoo and how that might play a role in the deal. Jessica Vascellaro at WSJ writes "As Yahoo chief executive Carol Bartz readies a company-wide reorganization, insiders are playing close attention to how she'll fill one critical hole." Gerald Horkan left the company a few weeks ago, and his post remains empty.

Images, public databases, speeches, printed literature and some online books are some of the things Google can't find. The list has become as much as an obsession to some as what the search engine can find. And while you might read this and say "hey, Google can find that," John Brandon explains why not all of these items are searchable. Google often can't find information on auctions or health records, but the search engine is working on it, Brandon writes. "The search is just not detailed enough--and some info is contained in private databases," he writes. So, Google's ...

Ryan Caldwell has been dabbling in local search during the past few months in preparation of the "supposedly imminent arrival of mobile search domination" and wants to share what he has learned with marketers. When it comes to local search, Caldwell writes, one of the most important things you can do is to build a list of quality references across the Web that contain your business, physical address, phone and Website address. He also adds helpful tips such as "wherever you have access to the html code, it can also help to bracket your business address with the ...